"Despite the hard work of shelters and rescues everywhere, it is estimated that millions of dogs and cats enter America’s shelters each year, and more than half of them will never leave. While great progress has been made, accurate and comprehensive nation-wide data does not exist. It’s precisely this data that will guide good decision-making, and help us save thousands of sheltered animals’ lives. The numbers really do count.." - https://shelteranimalscount.org/
Watauga Humane Society joined this national data base in early 2016, and are proud to be one of 5000 organizations choosing to be transparent with their numbers.
January 1st - December 31st, 2023
Intakes |
Dog | Puppy | Cat | Kitten | Other | Total |
| Owner/Guardian Surrender | 78 | 51 | 181 | 283 | 33 | 626 |
| Return | 58 | 9 | 29 | 8 | 1 | 105 |
| Seized / Custody | 101 | 12 | 62 | 64 | 1 | 240 |
| Stray | 196 | 47 | 109 | 192 | 27 | 571 |
| Transfer In | 5 | 8 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 33 |
| Intake Total | 438 | 127 | 392 | 556 | 59 | 1,575 |
Live Outcomes |
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| Adoption | 290 | 117 | 309 | 448 | 64 | 1,228 |
| Return to Field (5) | 0 | 0 | 56 | 2 | 0 | 58 |
| Barn Cat Adoption | 0 | 0 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 29 |
| Return to Owner/Guardian | 146 | 6 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 179 |
| Transfer Out | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Live Outcome Total | 437 | 123 | 419 | 452 | 64 | 1,495 |
Other Outcomes |
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| Died in Care (1) | 1 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 16 |
| Lost in Care (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Shelter Euthanasia (3) | 14 | 0 | 22 | 46 | 1 | 83 |
| Owner Intended Euthanasia (4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other Outcome Total | 15 | 0 | 25 | 57 | 2 | 100 |
(1) Died in Care - Usually young orphaned and ill kittens, seniors, abuse and neglect victims or other animals with illnesses or injuries that they are unable to overcome, even with veterinary treatment.
(2) Lost in Care - Random and unpredictable circumstances like a cat getting out a cat room window because a visitor opens a window; a mouse chews it's way out of a cage and isn't found; a foster animal is lost on the way to the vehicle in the parking lot, etc.
(3) Shelter Euthanasia - Usually animals with significant aggression that has not responded to training or animals with terminal or untreatable illnesses or injuries.
(4) Owner Intended Euthanasia - Owners sometimes surrender their animals to us because they cannot afford euthanasia. It is our policy to accept the surrender, do an exam and decide for ourselves whether euthanasia is necessary. By law, we cannot and we do not perform euthanasia on animals owned by members of the public.
(5) Return to Field - Feral cats and cats that are not socialized or otherwise appropriate for placement in an indoor environment (Barn Cats) that are released on a property with the permission of the property owner.